Card game casts spell on comics store owner

Life studies

Published 7:01 pm, Sunday, November 25, 2012

Kelly Akagi's store attracts the Magic crowd, who prefer it to the big-box stores that also carry the cards.

Kelly Akagi's store attracts the Magic crowd, who prefer it to the big-box stores that also carry the cards.

Photo: Sam Wolson, SFC

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Kelly Akagi, above (center), watches over a Magic: The Gathering tournament at his store, Comic Cards Etc., a gathering place for Magic aficionados, left.

Kelly Akagi, above (center), watches over a Magic: The Gathering tournament at his store, Comic Cards Etc., a gathering place for Magic aficionados, left.

Photo: Sam Wolson, SFC

Image 3 of 3

Kelly Akagi, above (center), watches over a Magic: The Gathering tournament at his store, Comic Cards Etc., a gathering place for Magic aficionados, left.

Kelly Akagi, above (center), watches over a Magic: The Gathering tournament at his store, Comic Cards Etc., a gathering place for Magic aficionados, left.

Photo: Sam Wolson, SFC

Card game casts spell on comics store owner

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It was never Kelly Akagi's intention to make Magic: The Gathering cards a main attraction in his Pinole comics shop. When the game was initially released in 1993, he adamantly ignored the advice of his distributors, who encouraged him to invest in the game.

"It was only when my son Aaron asked that I brought it in and started selling. Card games don't last that long!" Akagi says, still impressed by the longevity and creativity of Magic, a wizard-versus-wizard card game that employs spells, characters, enchantments and sorceries to kill off the other opponents.

It has been almost 20 years, and Akagi's business - Comic Cards Etc. - is now hosting Magic tournaments every Friday and Saturday. The quirky shop - colorful and appealing while filled with oddball collection items - caters to a diverse group of players who range from children 7 and older to teachers, programmers, information technology people, and even someone who helped make fixes for the Hubble telescope.

Magic tournaments can be found everywhere - from pizza parlors and sports shops to schools and libraries - but to find one that has the eclectic decor and energy of Akagi's shop is rare. And although Target and Costco carry the cards, in Pinole, the local players are loyal to Akagi, whose store serves as an enclave for young teens and adults to indulge in a hobby that many people resist and make fun of, particularly at school.

In a way, the shop weeds out the kids who are trouble.

"If a kid is bad, they don't stick around," Akagi says, "so the kids that are 'geeks' get to hang around and play. I have seen games that have lasted for hours where there has been no verbal communication."

Building friendships

Sometimes the same student will come every day for weeks. Others come here during the summer, spending almost every day building close friendships with Akagi and their peers while escaping the persecution and judgments of others.

One regular, Ryan Barrett, has been coming to this shop since the early years, when he was a student at Pinole Middle School. He rummages through boxes of cards and reminisces about his family and that first meeting.

"How long has it been, Kelly? I can't even remember."

Barrett, now a teacher at Pinole High School, has developed a strong friendship with Akagi, following him to his new location in Historic Old Town Pinole when he moved from the original location near the high school.

After flipping through a catalog of Magic card release dates, Barrett finally agrees on 1995 as the year they met.

The shop itself is small and homey. The walls are lined with comic books of every kind. A long table sits near the back with people clustered around, looking at cards and discussing their validity. Cases hold odd trinkets, including paintball guns and pieces, Star Wars figures, action figures, and boxes of cards, from collection cards to game cards.

Magic posters adorn the walls, and character cards are lined up to be inspected and bought, either by the case or individually. There is even an old arcade game that never runs, but still adds to the antique feel. On the back wall, an older television is constantly playing movies old and new from Akagi's collection of nearly 200 DVDs and videocassettes.

Growing up on comics

Growing up in Berkeley, Akagi was not much of an athlete. He tried gymnastics for a few years and karate, playing sports like paintball and pickle, but for the most part growing up on comics. He was looking through their pages and following the intricate story lines before he could even read.

"My brother didn't believe me when I asked him for a new one," Akagi says. "He asked me to explain each panel exactly, so I did."

After that, his older brothers encouraged Akagi by constantly providing comics for him.

As an adult, he started working at Federal Express, but when injuries prevented him from continuing, his wife, Catherine, turned to him jokingly and said, "If you are going to open a store, do it now or I never want to hear about it again!" Shortly after, Comic Cards Etc. was born, and Akagi was the happy owner.

Even as the shop has grown, Akagi maintains personal relationships with most everyone who walks through his doors. He always greets people by name.

'It's like my shop now'

One familiar customer, Richard Lopez, is burly, tall, and covered in tattoos. Spider-Man, Superman, and characters from some of the most beloved comics and movies cover his arms. He points to his arm with Spider-Man clutching tendrils of webbing, saying: "This is my Marvel side. It still needs work."

Lopez found the shop in February, and when he came in, he instantly hit it off with Akagi. "It seems like it's been forever. It's like my shop now." Lopez says. "You come in and just feel welcome."

Lopez lingers in the store even after purchasing a pile of about 20 comic books. "I don't want to miss anything good," he says, promising to be back soon after he finally exits.

As far as Magic goes, Akagi started playing the game two years after it came out, but admits it is more off and on now.

"It's like playing video games," he says. "Eventually I have to quit playing for a while so I can get work done."